Ministry Strategies, Methods and Resources with Sports Professionals

Below is another installment from an interview with Walt Enoch, long-time sports chaplain to professional athletes and coaches in St. Louis, Missouri – USA. I pray that his insights are of value to your ministry.



Strategies, Methods and Resources –


• I asked Walt about the most effective strategies, methods and resources he has used in his almost forty years of ministry and he listed these:


o Serving people


o Chapels


o Prayer


o Bible studies


o Devotionals


Chapel service points of emphasis –


o Arrange the time and location as directed by the head coach or manager.


o Prepare guest speakers


 Don’t act like a fan.


 Don’t bring guests with you.


 Don’t talk about yourself. They don’t need to hear your high school sport stories.


 Bring a Biblical message. Remember, this is their weekly worship service.


 Be very time conscious. Stick with the time allotted to you.


 Former players and coaches are often the best because they understand the culture and its values.


o NFL teams do their chapels separately.


o MLB teams do their chapels separately.


FCA Sports Chaplain Principles and Best Practices


for serving Professional Sportspeople


Walt Enoch – as told to Roger Lipe on November 24, 2009


Walt Enoch began serving professional athletes in 1970 when only the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs had chapel leaders. He was already serving the St. Louis Cardinals when Baseball Chapel began its ministry. Walt also served the St. Louis Football Cardinals before their move to Arizona and has served the St. Louis Rams since they arrived in town. For two years he had a ministry with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. For many years he worked to oversee all of the baseball chapel leaders in the Cardinals minor league cities.